


i sing a song of tragedy

by marevils



Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Boys In Love, Even In Death, M/M, Poetry, True Love, i wrote this for a dramatic monologue assignment in my literature class, my baby boomer teacher loved it, poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 04:09:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18003563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marevils/pseuds/marevils
Summary: a dramatic monologue about patroclus and achilles written from patroclus’ perspective, post song of achilles’ ending.





	i sing a song of tragedy

In this countryside lies a battlefield ridden with ghosts,  
But two tombs catch the eye, names carved in posts.  
Here we lie, gods at the dawn of the earth,  
A love never told, soulmates born and died of a curse.

I was brought to him by death, cast out by my own.  
For an accident I lost my crown, but finding in him a home.  
He was a lion, half my soul, a hero who never had a choice.  
From birth it was decided at his name crowds would rejoice.

We spent days training for prophesied battles and war,  
Nights lying together, tracing each other’s faces on the floor.  
Afternoons throwing spears and swords and stones,  
Forcing ourselves together in a curse that said he was supposed to die alone. 

He once told me to name a hero who was happy but I thought of none-  
He kissed me, grasped my shoulders and said he would be the first- the only one.  
I asked the reason and he only replied with my name and a pause,  
Looked into my eyes and declared he would eat the world raw.

But the world had other plans from the time he was a boy,  
So it was done. We sailed together and bore passage to Troy.  
The curse I have spoken of, warned by his own motherly spectre,  
Declared my lover would die in consequence of killing his enemy, Hector.

We put it off it best we could, swore the day would never come to be,  
As he would always say “What has Hector ever done to me?”  
If he had the option, he would have set his armour on fire,  
Returned home with me, swapped his weapons for a lyre.

I would have gladly gone. I never wanted him to die.   
It was a cruel twist of fate that decided to precede his death with mine.   
I was struck down by Hector, who he had declared never to kill.  
But in a rage born of my death, he saw it as the gods’ will. 

He was cursed from birth with a burden he was told to bear alone,  
But then I came to him and he made me his home.   
Which curse was greater? He asked his mother after I was gone.  
To die alone, or to live while his world was grief stricken and wrong. 

And so those who pass by see our tombs side by side,  
A hero buried next to his own sort of bride.  
Our lives were meant to be lonely, meant to be hopeless,  
But even in death I know him- He is Achilles. I am Patroclus.

**Author's Note:**

> i love this book dearly (even though it rips me apart). i don’t write poetry often but i really liked this monologue i wrote for class and i hope you like it too!


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